


Never Lost or Forgotten

by Quinis



Category: Chuck - Fandom, White Collar
Genre: Amnesia, Gen, Memory Loss, Spies & Secret Agents, The Intersect - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-13 23:12:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1244035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Response to a prompt: White Collar/Chuck Crossover, Timeline - Season 4 White Collar, any Chuck (after Season 5): (Bryce!)Neal wakes up in Los Angeles and the only memory he has is Peter Burke is in prison and he needs to find Chuck Bartowski.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Find Chuck

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was searching for some White Collar stories and came across a prompt in the White Collar Hurt/Comfort Community on LJ. Well, It's a Chuck/White Collar crossover so I couldn't resist...
> 
> Repost from my Fanfiction.net account

* * *

He groaned and stirred. Rolling onto his side, the first thing he noticed was the hard ground and little stones poking into him. A moment later, his senses returned to him.

_Peter!_

He shot up and almost barrelled down the person standing in front of him.

"Careful, man," the person said in a dull, slow tone, "after a night like yours, you need to take things slow."

"What?" he questioned, pushing back so that he was standing. His hand pressed against his head like it should but hurting, but it wasn't.

He was fine, wasn't he? Nothing hurt, except where little bits of the road had poked into him.

He focused on the person in front of him. He was a forty-something year old man, balding and possessing a bulging beer belly.

"You have a card?" the man asked, "like this." He passed him a card with the words; 'My name is Jeff and I'm lost', printed on it.

"Uh, no," he responded, passing the man back his card. "But, I'm Neal." Neal... he knew that there must be more to that name but he couldn't remember. There was something he had to do.

"I need-" his voice trailed off as he remembered.

Peter. He needed to save Peter. Peter was in prison and it was his fault. There was something else...

"How about you come inside?" Jeff suggested, placing a hand on Neal's arm.

Neal let himself be led inside as he tried to figure out what he was doing here. Peter was in New York but, this most certainly was not New York.

He fiddled in the pockets of his pants; the only clothing item he seemed to be wearing. His legs trembled unsteadily.

"Oh, that's cold!" he winced as his feet made contact with the cold tile inside. Jeff just nodded sagely and directed him to a green plastic chair.

This appeared to be the employee's room, Neal realised. The urge to look around was instantly suppressed as his fingers brushed a sheet of paper in his pocket.

Elated, he pulled it out and smoothed it out. There were only three words scrawled on it; 'Find Chuck Bartowski'.

"Oh, Chuck," Jeff said, looking over his shoulder at the note. "I'll get him."

"Thank you," Neal responded, looking over the piece of paper. He twisted it, flipped it but the message didn't change and there was nothing else written on it. It looked like it had been torn from a notebook or something, so no clues there. "Why, Chuck?" he questioned aloud.

The door opened and he looked up. Suddenly, his head hurt and his vision flickered. Images and symbols appeared, flashing in front of his vision and fading out just as fast. Static and a ringing sound in his ears.

 _A younger picture of a man with curly hair and an excited smile, Chuck Bartoski; Stanford University –_ everything went black.

* * *

Chuck watched in shock as the man slid to the floor. His mouth had dropped open when he laid eyes on him; a man who looked to be Bryce's duplicate, but when he spotted the man's eyelids fluttering and his body twitching, he moved.

"Jeff, get Casey!" Chuck ordered, surging forward.

Pulse was a little faster than what could be considered normal. Chuck placed cupped the man's face – God! Just like Bryce! – and sighed in relief as the fit seemed to pass.

"Bartowski, this had better be important or-" Casey's voice trailed off as he got a good look at the person Chuck was helping, "Larkin."

"I don't know," Chuck responded in a quick, breathless voice, "we didn't, we didn't have a chance to speak before he fainted. I think he, he flashed."

"Larkin has an Intersect?" Casey questioned.

"We don't know if he's Bryce!" Chuck snapped back. Casey stepped back, a little shocked at the demand in Chuck's voice.

"Fine. What now?"

They moved the man to Castle, their hidden spy base below the Buy More. Casey carried him and dropped him into one of their interrogation chairs.

"He's got the scars," Casey pointed out, poking the man's chest where there were small round scars. One near his heart from when Casey shot him and one lower where he bled out a bullet shot by a Ring agent.

Chuck was silent, his face stony. The man in front of him certainly could be Bryce but, Chuck had seen Bryce die. He had been there when he passed, seen Sarah scream for him and had been unable to save him.

_So, who was this?_

"Blood tests might confirm it," Casey suggested.

"Do it," Chuck agreed. He placed his hand on the man's forehead. It was clammy and he didn't like it. Could the Intersect be damaging him? "I'm going to get the Intersect Removal Program."

* * *

Neal stirred for the second time that day. His became instantly aware of something strapping his wrists down, holding them to the chair he was in. He opened his eyes to a cold room, empty of everything except some tools and a computer terminal.

For reasons he didn't understand, this was terrifying. His blood pressure spiked and he couldn't breathe. Everything tensed and he couldn't cry out. He couldn't even think, beyond; no, no, no, nonononono.

His eyes snapped to the door as it opened. It was Chuck.

"Calm down," he insisted. His hands were held up in a no-weapons position. "We removed the Intersect from your head and just need to run a few tests." It was the truth, although the tests they were running had nothing to do with the Intersect.

"Huh?" Neal had no idea what 'the Intersect' was. He noticed the way Chuck seemed to open up at his visible confusion. Or maybe he got some joy from Neal's confusion, he didn't know.

"It's sort of like a computer of government information, which is downloaded to the human brain."

"And I had one. In my brain?" Neal suppressed revolution at the thought.

"We think it might have done some damage," Chuck admitted, "what do you remember?"

Neal rolled his head along the back of the chair.

"I woke up out the back of a Buy More and Jeff let me in," he responded honestly.

Chuck's mouth twitched like Neal had said something funny.

"Before that," he said.

Neal frowned. Before that, there was nothing. Blackness. Except – he began pulling at his restrains;

"There's a man in New York; Peter!" This was important. "He needs help! And, the paper said to find Chuck Bartowski; can you help?"

Chuck was taken aback. His hands reached out even as his body recoiled. Neal wouldn't accept no for an answer.

"Please!" he begged, his voice loud in the small room, "please, we have to save Peter! I can't leave him! Please!"

"Okay!" Chuck burst out in response. Relieved, Neal leant back and relaxed a little. "Okay," Chuck repeated, "we'll help your friend but, let us help you first, okay?"

Neal nodded and tried to ignore how uncomfortable he was. He desired to break free of the restraints but, he needed Chuck to help him; it was a show of faith.

Beyond the two-way and out of sight, Chuck emerged from the room and shared a panicked look with his wife. Sarah had a similar look on her face as they both were wondering what had happened to Bryce.

However, Casey had a slight frown on his face. He stood tall and almost growled.

"Seriously, Chuck?" he questioned in a scolding tone, "you're going to help him? We don't know who this 'Peter' is or how Bryce is alive. For all we know it could be a trap." The blood tests had already proved that the man they had strapped inside was Bryce Larkin; an ex-CIA agent who had been killed in action.

"Casey, the Intersect destroyed almost all of his memory," Chuck announced in a sad tone. Sarah twitched at that, she had only lost about four or five years to a faulty Intersect, she couldn't image what it would be like to lose everything. "Peter is the only thing he remembers so, we should find him anyway. He could be a clue as to how Bryce survived."

"Chuck is right," Sarah said, taking a deep breath. "Where do we start?"

"Search for any Peters in New York, I guess," Chuck responded.

Casey scoffed in response; that could take years and he was glad that he didn't have any part in this search.


	2. Disconnect

 

* * *

Neal waited and, sure enough, Chuck eventually came to release him. As Neal absentmindedly rubbed at where the restraints had held his wrists, he wondered why Chuck had been the only person he saw down here.

"My name's Neal," Neal responded when Chuck referred to him as 'Bryce'.

"Neal?" Chuck was surprised by that little bit of information. Neal tilted his head and asked whether that was a problem. "No, no." Chuck paused for a moment. "Actually, that might help."

Neal followed Chuck out of the room and into the Conference Room. A blond woman and a military-like man were already seated. The woman was working her way through files while the man was cleaning a gun.

Neal edged away from the man when he looked up at him. The sight of the gun made his skin crawl.

"Bartowski!" a demanding voice suddenly said as speakers and the screen burst to life.

Neal jumped and partially hid behind Chuck. The other man made a good human shield. "Explain why you're making inquiries into Larkin's cases?"

Chuck shifted and Neal stood tall. If this woman wanted to see him, he guessed he would have to deal. He let a smile dance over his lips and relaxed his shoulders. His hands dropped into his pants' pockets.

The woman looked surprised to see him. She frowned a little, as if his presence was a mere inconvenience.

"So, Larkin is alive." She shuffled some papers on her desk. "I guess this explains your reports. He had an Intersect?"

"Larkin?" Again with the names that he didn't recognise. "It's Neal."

The woman's eyebrow lifted.

"Neal?" she questioned in an interested tone. "As in 'Neal Caffrey'?"

Caffrey. That sounded about right. Peter used to call him that; didn't he?

"I think so."

"General?" the woman questioned. Chuck whispered her name into Neal's ear. Was it Sarah or Sara?

"One of Agent Larkin's first aliases was 'Neal Caffrey'. He donned it during an investigation into Vincent Adler."

"The ponzi guy?" Chuck questioned.

"Yes. Unfortunately, the mission was an almost-failure. The only success it had was setting Neal up in the criminal underworld."

"Then, this 'Peter' might be connected to Neal?" Chuck asked, excitedly. One of the screens flashed and changed to show information and Special Agent Peter Burke, FBI.

"The man who chased and caught Neal Caffrey," the General informed them, "he's currently in prison after shooting Senator Terrance Pratt."

"He didn't do it!" Neal yelled. He knew Peter didn't do it and he knew that Peter wasn't that kind of person.

The room froze for a moment, everyone looking surprised at the burst of emotion from someone who had been a stoic spy.

"Pardon?" the General inquired.

"He. Didn't. Do it," Neal said, slowly in order for the words to be clear.

"Then who did?"

Neal's eyebrows furrowed and he frowned as he tried to recall. There were things he just knew, like how he knew Peter needed help, and things he could recall if he just tried hard enough.

 _Who did?_  Someone, there was someone else. Peter knew him and Neal remembered talking to him but there was a blank when he tried to remember who the man was and what he looked like.

"There was someone else," he tried to explain, hoping to suddenly remember a name as he spoke, "he shot Pratt." He stopped talking as he felt dizzy and sick.

"'Someone else'," the General said it distastefully.

"Is that possible?" Sarah questioned, her eyes fixed on the General. She couldn't stand looking at the ghost in the room, seeing him in visible pain and confusion and unable to help. She remembered Bryce as unstoppable, unemotional and the perfect spy; not this man who was desperate to save a friend. It hurt a little, realising just how much she didn't know about Bryce, even though they had done things together.

"It is," the General responded with a sigh. "Agent Burke claims that James Bennett shot Pratt with his gun, framing him for Pratt's death."

She pulled up a picture of James Bennett and while Neal didn't react, Chuck did. His eyelids fluttered and he almost flinched.

"Oh, that's not good, that's very bad," he said in a higher pitched, almost panicked voice. Neal gave him a curious look as the General ordered him to explain. "Uh, James Bennett used to work for the Ring as a 'fixer'. He gets rid of their problems, if you get what I mean."

"Sounds like a nice guy," Casey said and no one knew if he was joking or not.

"Nice guy or not, he is your next mission," the General said, taking control of the situation. "Take Agent Larkin back to New York and find this James Bennett."

"What about Peter?" Neal asked. If these people weren't going to help him then he wasn't going to help them. It wouldn't be too hard to escape from them.

"I will see what I can do about Agent Burke."

"General?" Chuck was the one to question this time. It wasn't like the General to do something like that. However, she had already hung up and the black screen wasn't going to give him any answers.

* * *

Neal liked Chuck's house. It was a simple two-story home, a regular house which could belong to any normal family. Chuck and Sarah both lived her; they were married and planned to have children.

"Feels like you need a dog," he commented when he first walked in. For some reason, the idea of a couple with a dog made him smile.

Chuck and Sarah didn't feel the same way. Chuck was confused by the comment and Sarah seemed slightly annoyed. Neal just smiled and let Chuck lead him around while Sarah called in a delivery service for dinner.

"He seems so different," she whispered to Chuck as Neal examined their bookcase.

Chuck nodded and felt slightly responsible. It seemed the Intersect has messed with their friend's head; the Intersect which his father designed. Sarah didn't know everything, she hadn't been there when he had roused Neal in order to remove it. Casey hadn't been there either.

When the program had started up, Neal had flinched violently. His body had seized up and pulled at the restraints, almost as if he was trying to flee. And then, once the program had completed, his body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

It had been terrifying, Chuck even believed for a moment that he killed the man, and Chuck couldn't shake the image.

Neal watched the couple out of the corner of his eye. They were wary around him, like he was a dog that might bite them at any second. He was tired but tried not to let it show. Instead, he focused on experiencing as much as he could. Every movement and every interaction felt shiny and new. The feel of the sun on his face had almost knocked him down and he couldn't help comparing the feel of the Bartowski house to the feel of Castle, their hidden spy base. He knew he didn't remember much and that it wasn't normal; something had happened to him.

Thankfully, he could remember that Peter needed his help. He didn't even want to consider what would have happened if he had forgotten that.

He needed to act as normal as he could, to get these people to help him save Peter.

"Hey, where's my wallet?" Chuck questioned, patting down his pants.

Neal smirked and revealed his prize, Chuck's wallet. He still had his touch; he had seen an opening and decided to test whether he actually possessed the skills, the processes, he was recalling.

Chuck frowned in a disapproving manner and took his wallet back. The whole process had an air of familiarity to it, something Neal would have to examine later when he was alone.

"You forgot something," Neal added. With a flourish, the twenty from Chuck's wallet appeared in his hand.

A look a surprise and amazement flashed on Chuck's features.

"Okay, you're forgiven," he said, "if you teach me that trick."

"Chuck!" Sarah scolded.

"What?" he responded with a shrug. "It could come in handy. And I like magic." He mumbled the last part soft enough that Neal only knew what he said by reading his lips.

Neal smiled and Sarah felt a stab of pain as she remembered Bryce. She couldn't see this person in front of her as Bryce. In her eyes, Bryce was someone who had been erased. Replaced. This was not the man the CIA trained or the man she met.

Neal was showing Chuck how to palm a note so that people couldn't see it. She wondered if this was who he had been and she hadn't been close enough for him to show her. She didn't know which hurt more and, unless Neal recalled his lost memories, she wouldn't get to know.

* * *

"Was this how you felt with me?" she asked later when Chuck climbed into bed. Chuck gave her a confused look and she added, "when I lost my memories because of the faulty Intersect, was this how you felt with me?" She had regained some of her memories back, mostly her feelings of love and rightness towards Chuck, but it had taken time and little things to remind her. And there were memories which might never return. Chuck had been so patient with her, helped her through it and accepted her. But, had he done it while hiding feelings of pain, worry and fear? Was he thinking about how she wasn't the same woman he had loved, that she might never get her memories back, that he might not have a place in her life any longer?

When she tried to explain this, Chuck's mouth turned downwards in a sad manner. He shifted closer to her, so that their shoulders were touching, and looked her straight in the eye, so that she could tell her wasn't lying.

"It was worth it. For the light of recognition on your face when you could recall something. And for moments like these, when we're together."

"What if I had left?" she asked.

"I would have chased you," Chuck responded with only a little bit of thought. "Asked Beckman to team us up for a few missions." When she raised an eyebrow at this, he added in a flustered manner, "of course, if you said 'no' after a few missions and still hated me, I would have backed off."

She nodded. Even though Chuck's words didn't really make sense to her.

"I knew you could remember," Chuck responded, "and I know Bryce will remember."

"What?" How could he be so sure?

"He remembers Peter, doesn't he? And he joked earlier about how my sister must be proud." Sarah didn't understand. "I haven't mentioned my sister during any of this."

Sarah realised that it was true and that Chuck hadn't mentioned Ellie in front of Neal. Rolling away from her husband, she wished that she could have his faith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so that no one is confused, Neal's joke/comment about Chuck's sister happened off-screen. It's not in the chapter. Next chapter, we learn a little about how Bryce became Neal.


	3. Reconnect

 

* * *

Orion was more than a constellation of stars or a hunter in Greek mythology. It was the codename for the man who created the Intersect, the only person in the world who understood how it worked. His children carried on his legacy.

Bryce knew the man once. He had designed the Intersect that resided in his head; the Intersect that had resided in his head.

Agent Winters was a diminutive CIA agent whose speciality lay in undercover espionage. He was famed for his skills. Few agents ever knew they that met him and even fewer got the chance to learn from him. Bryce carried his legacy.

Bryce's first mission was one which many of his colleagues and other agents had failed; impress Agent Winters and learn from him. His only clues were a location, time, date and an item. He left Stanford; the CIA would ensure that he passed everything, and moved to New York.

How to impress a man who no one knew and none saw coming? Despite acing his training, Bryce was still young and didn't have the first clue of how to do it.

What kinds of skills would he value? And how would Bryce show them off in a park with people all around? The item he was told to have ready was odd too. Forged _'Atlantic Incorporated bonds'_ , something which didn't exist and he would have to create. If he was just walking around with the bonds, then he would probably be arrested. At the very least, it would look strange.

Bryce decided to just create the bonds and worry about the rest later. He threw himself into their creation and attempted to forget about what he had done to Chuck only a few weeks earlier. He was quite proud of the final product.

Now, he needed Agent Winters to see it. But, how? Luring the agent to the dingy apartment seemed like the best idea but it wasn't like he could leave a trail of breadcrumbs.

It wasn't until he went to the appointed location at the appointed time and day that he realised he could. The location led straight to a man running a 'Find the Lady' gamble. Bryce remembered doing that when he was kid, tricking kids and the odd adult out of their lunch money. Ellen accidentally explained the game to him; she hadn't realised he would use it to con people out of their money at the time, she had just been telling him about some of the day-to-day busts she and his father had pulled because he kept bugging her for stories.

Bryce couldn't resist conning the man and his plant in the crowd out of their money, teach them not to trick people out of their money. And it planted the breadcrumb for Agent Winters. Let the agent chase him, instead of the other way around.

He hadn't expected the old, short and bespectacled man who had been the 'Find the Lady' plant in the crowd and was wearing a bad wig to appear at his front door. He certainly hadn't expected what had come next.

Bryce Larkin became the first agent to impress Agent Winters and, not only learn from him but, continuously partner with the man.

* * *

When the Ring shot him, they also healed him. They pulled the bullet out and dropped him in another of those 'containment pods' after dragging him out of the Intersect room. Bryce had been knocked out by the lack of blood and the shock of having the Intersect 2.0 bore into his brain, overstraining his weak body.

Was it supposed to feel so heavy?

The Ring dropped the pod into a truck, which Agent Winters stole. Winters then took him to Orion and they loaded up another Intersect into his head.

This Intersect was different to the Intersect 2.0 as it was designed to make Bryce believe he was someone else. Once uploaded, Bryce wouldn't remember the CIA or who he was, he would believe himself to be the alias wholly and completely. This Intersect used the alias that the CIA set him up with during his training;  _which they so stole from his personal files and Bryce didn't appreciate it,_   _thank you_. An alias that Winters made him use to hid Bryce Larkin from 'the watchful eyes of the feds' while they were on missions together.

_Neal Caffrey._

* * *

It was Bryce who woke the following morning. With the Intersect gone from his head, his brain had spent the previous day trying to adjust. It wasn't until Neal fell asleep that his memories, purposely sealed by an Intersect Orion created, surfaced.

For a moment, Bryce thought he was back in Agent Winter's hideout and that the Intersect had failed. But, a part of him couldn't rest. He could still remember the previous day and that Peter was in danger.

Bryce sighed and climbed out of bed. He really wasn't looking forward to explaining himself and he didn't think he could act like Neal with his memories forefront in his mind. He pulled at the pants he was wearing, something he had borrowed from Chuck, and realised something. He only had pants on the previous day. How had he gotten from New York to Burbank with only a pair of pants? And what happened to his suits?

_Suits?_

"Oh, I'm going crazy," he commented to himself as he changed into a borrow outfit. A plain, button-up white tee and black pants which were possibly part of Chuck's Nerd Herd outfit. Still no shoes.

He moved silently out of the room and went down the stairs towards the kitchen.

Chuck would swear that the smell of bacon sizzling was what woke him. His waking movements woke Sarah and they both snuck down to the kitchen. Neither of them were prepared for the sight of Bryce cooking breakfast.

"Good morning," he greeted cheerfully, taking a sip of coffee while bacon and eggs sizzled away on the hotplate behind him.

"Uh, this isn't necessary," Sarah said when Chuck just stood there. It was awkward talking to this man who didn't remember her when she remembered him. Like how he had woken her up with breakfast and a smiling 'good morning' once before.

His smile faded.

"Yeah, you don't like breakfast," he said, mostly to himself. Then he turned to Chuck, "want some bacon and eggs, buddy?"

"I don't like bacon," Chuck responded awkwardly when Sarah jabbed him in the side. It was a lie and his mouth watered in a way which betrayed his lie, but it was the first thing that came to mind which allowed him to refuse Bryce's offer.

Bryce's eyebrows knitted.

"Is this a recent thing?" he questioned, "'cause you used to jump at the chance for a good cooked meal at Stanford."

"Hey!" Chuck snapped back. That wasn't true!

"'Cause you were studying most of the time and didn't really have time for something like food," Bryce continued.

Chuck frowned but didn't respond. He had skipped a few meals back at Stanford, which Bryce had teased him endlessly about. It wasn't his fault! He got caught up in studying and didn't pay attention to the time! Wait.

"You remember?" Chuck said. His experience was that it took longer than a day for lost memories to return.

"Up to a few weeks after I got shot by the Ring," Bryce responded. Then he shook his head. "After that, it's all fragments."

Sarah winced in sympathy. She knew how that felt.

"What do we call you now?" she asked. It had been 'Neal' yesterday and she couldn't truly let herself believe but;

"Bryce," he responded without hesitation. He turned around a moment later to tend to the cooking food so they couldn't gauge his reaction.

"You know that you got shot by the Ring over three years ago?" Chuck pointed out. He couldn't help it; he needed to check that Bryce knew just how much time he was missing. It wouldn't do to let Bryce believe that only a few days, or weeks or months had passed when it was years. "We believed you were dead."

"Neither of us checked properly for a pulse," Sarah realised with a sigh. It was a rookie mistake but, "they didn't give us the time."

"Sorry," Bryce responded, turning around and giving her a weak smile.

"For letting us think you dead?" Again, Chuck had to check.

Bryce paused in the middle of dropping some bacon on a plate and gave a lopsided smile.

"Actually, strangely enough, I'm more sorry that I forced Sarah to choose between us." He didn't really understand why he felt bad about that, but he could somehow empathise with the pain she must have felt when she had to choose between two people she was close to. "I was out of line." He looked straight at her and added, "you picked the right guy."

"Just because I chose Chuck, didn't mean you had to die."

Ouch. There is was again, that strange empathising feeling.

"Let's just eat," she said, distracting him before he could properly ponder these new feelings.

He pasted his smile back on and served up the breakfast he made. Chuck took it with a hastily said 'thanks' and dug right in. Sarah gave him a small smile and took the plate.

Bryce caught a glimpse of her ring and had a flash of another woman. Just beyond shoulder length red hair and unbeatable determination and he was on one knee with a ring; he dropped his plate.

_He had proposed._

"Oh god," he said, taking a couple of deep breaths. There had to be a reason, he wouldn't just propose; would he? Agent Winters wouldn't have allowed it. The other Agent had lost his parents because they were spies.

Chuck's face dropped into his field of vision, his lips moving but Bryce unhearing. Breathe, he needed to breathe.

He forced his back straight and took a couple of deep breaths. He could worry about Sara Ellis later.

Just, she called him a sociopath and gave evidence at his trial so, how had he ended up proposing to her? Even if the outcome had already been decided by the CIA, he hadn't appreciated some of the things she had said about him. And she hated him.

"I feel like I just had the wildest night," he commented to help elevate the fear he could see on Chuck's face. Sarah looked worried as well with her face pinched tight. "And I've woken up the next day with little hints all around me but unable to remember a thing."

"It'll be okay," Chuck responded, placing a comforting hand on his upper arm.

Bryce stared at him for a moment.

"You speak like you have experience with this," he said, bending down to clean up the mess he made. The food was okay, not perfect but edible, so he transferred it to another plate and placed the shards of the broken plate into the sink.

Chuck and Sarah shared a glance and she nodded slightly.

"Two years ago, Morgan ended up downloading an Intersect. It ended up doing a bit of damage to his memories and personality whenever he flashed. Removing it reversed the damage but, Sarah downloaded a similar version last year. She was forced to flash until she lost all her memories dating after you sent me the first Intersect."

Five years, Bryce quickly calculated, Sarah lost five years worth of memories.

"She didn't remember you?" he questioned.

Chuck shook his head and Bryce drew in a sharp breath.

"They come back," Sarah informed him with a nervous smile when she caught him glancing at her. "Mostly."

Bryce swallowed but reminded himself that they were still together. They had this house and jobs and appeared normal. If they were working through this, it wasn't his place to interfere.

"Right, well, not that this isn't interesting and all," he commented, wanting this conversation over with, "but, I'm hungry and breakfast is getting cold."

Sarah breathed out and relaxed at the change in subject and Chuck smiled. They would plan after breakfast.

* * *

Miles away, in a segregated holding facility, there was a buzz and a cell door opened up. Peter Burke stood up as, against all the protocol he knew, a visitor walked into his cell.


	4. Homeward Bound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one, twice the length of my usual chapters.

 

* * *

Peter realised that Neal was right, tracking anklets chaffed. He absent-mindedly used one foot to rub against the other and winced as he knocked the anklet against his skin. El had screeched with delight and hugged him tight when he turned up on the doorstep flanked by marshals. He had only been home a few hours during which she cooked him lunch and they indulged in each other. It would be perfect, if not for the stupid anklet and the looming threat of his indictment hearing.

There was a knock at the door and El moved to answer it, letting one Clinton Jones in.

"Hey, Peter," Jones said, standing tall and ready for orders. Peter gave him a quick hug, having missed contact with people, and greeted him.

"Hey, Jones, what have you got for me?"

"Not much I'm afraid," Jones responded, deflating slightly. Peter frowned. Something was wrong. Something other than him being framed and James Bennett disappearing into the wind.

El had been off all day, like there was something she was hiding from him. He had ignored it, because he had missed her but, he couldn't ignore a similar feeling from one of his agents.

"Where's Neal?" Peter asked, because this reaction from the people in his life usually had to do with something Neal did.

"James Bennett is still missing," Jones reported instead, "and Ellen's evidence has vanished as well."

"What? But Neal-" Peter stopped. Neal had the evidence. Peter connected the pieces into some very bad pictures. "Where's Neal?" he asked again, praying that the young conman wasn't dead. James wouldn't kill his son over the evidence, would he?

"Official story is that he ran," Jones announced, "but, the same day you were arrested and James vanished, Neal disappeared. Diana's looking into the possibility that Bennett might have done something to him but she's not having any luck and the marshals refuse to listen to us when we mention the possibility."

"He's been missing a week?" Peter questioned in horror. He glanced back at El and she nodded with a frown on her face. "Has anyone contacted Mozzie?"

"Oh, he knows," Jones said, "he's started referring to us as 'Feds' instead of 'Suits' and berating us for not putting everything into finding Neal."

"So, Mozzie believes Neal didn't run?" Peter checked.

"He's been trying to track Neal down himself, but he's not sharing what he finds."

El sighed.

"He hasn't found anything," she said, "he's certain that James is behind this but has no idea how he did it or where he took Neal." She paused before adding, in a soft voice, "he doesn't even know if Neal's alive."

Peter's mouth dropped open. If Mozzie couldn't find anything, then what chance did they have?

"He looks like he hasn't slept in days either," El continued, "he's been trying to visit every day, to keep me company, as well as trying to find Neal."

"I don't like this," Peter said. Something about it felt wrong. Like his release.

In fact, his release hadn't been a choice. Contracts were thrown in his face for him to sign and he was sent on his way.

* * *

_James shot him. Neal felt the ground, blacking out as the tranq worked its way through his system. He had come to, tied to a chair and in an unknown warehouse. James stood by as someone else, a man in a suit, questioned him about the evidence._ What was so important about it to warrant torture?

 _There had been a pattern, hanging on the wall, a symbol. It sent a shot of pain through Neal's head. It felt like his brain was reaching for something that it wasn't able to access._ The Intersect that made him believe he was Neal Caffrey also included a block to keep him from flashing on anything in the Intersect 2.0. Neal would sometimes have 'flashes' of insight but they weren't the same as the flashes Chuck had. _And the man who was questioning him, he knew he was dangerous. Neal knew his name and who he worked for,_ which Bryce couldn't recall.

_"I think he has an Intersect," the man realised as Neal tried to shake off whatever had happened. "In that case, this just got easier."_

_Then, in glimpses of images, pain, shooting pain as the Intersect that housed Neal Caffrey was dismantled, bit by bit._

Bryce shot awake as the plane landed in New York.

* * *

The taxi pulled up in front of Neal's listed residence and Chuck, Sarah and Bryce got out.

"I lived here?" Bryce questioned, looking up at the large, multi-story house. He supposed it felt familiar but, he was over-thinking things.

"Nice digs," Chuck praised.

"The owner's name is June Ellington," Sarah informed them, "she might know something about what happened to you."

Bryce was nervous about this but kept his face impassive. He needed to put his personal feelings about this aside and focus on helping Peter. And part of that was finding out what had happened to him that had ended with him outside the Burbank Buy More.

Bryce took off the cap and sunglasses that were hiding his face. The General had pulled some strings to get him past airport security and call off the watch on June's residence.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Chuck asked, "introduce ourselves as CIA or what?"

"We'll follow your lead," Sarah said to Bryce. In any other mission, Bryce would have been okay with that. But, here, he had no idea what he was going to do or how he was going to react. He was winging it.

"Mr. Neal!" the maid gasped when she opened the door. "You shouldn't be here, what if they caught you?" Bryce smiled at her worry for him. Now that the door was open, a real sense of home was hitting him.

"Maids, this place has real maids!" Chuck whispered in an excited voice.

"Is June in?" Bryce asked.

"Yes! Come in, I'll get her for you." The inside was even more amazing than the outside. The furnishings were expensive but not cluttering. The place had a real sense of style.

"I can't believe you lived here!" Chuck said in his high-pitched, excited voice.

"I don't understand it either," Sarah commented, "the FBI only has seven hundred dollars to house Neal with and the CIA had no knowledge of you being here. There's no way you could have afforded this place."

"I would have taken less," June announced, walking down the stairs. "Neal became like a son to me."

"June," Bryce deduced. The woman gave off a warm atmosphere and was moved like she owned the place.

"It's good to see you," she said, smiling at him. "Although, I'm curious as to how you managed to sneak past the watch outside."

"Ms. Ellington, do you mind if we talk?" Sarah asked, sensing the way Bryce seemed to hesitate.

"Of course, dear," June responded, "come, take a seat. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," Sarah responded with Chuck and Bryce saying something to the same effect.

* * *

Bryce decided to treat this like business and not a chance for him to recall things.

"June, this is Sarah and Chuck Carmichael. They're here to help me clear Peter's name. In order to do that, we need to know what happened before I vanished."

"Neal doesn't recall the events leading up to his disappearance," Sarah explained, "and we won't explain the state we found him in, just that it wasn't good."

June glanced at Bryce and frowned slightly.

"I see." Her tea arrived that moment and she distracted herself with it for a moment. As she stirred, she looked over the three people sitting across from her. "Neal has immunity for any criminal acts he may have done?"

"That is correct," Sarah responded.

June glanced at Bryce again before speaking.

"As far as I know, there was an evidence box hidden in the Empire State Building. A woman close to Neal collected it. It contained evidence about a dirty cop division."

Ellen. Bryce realised. She must have been looking into his father. He had contacted her as Neal a few times, since she had been the one to tell him about his past and he couldn't tell her about being CIA. He had known about being in Witsec for years, since the marshals had changed his and his mother's names when he was a teenager; which was when he became 'Bryce Larkin', but he hadn't know about his father's corrupt past until Ellen had told him when he turned eighteen. And, in return, Bryce's mother had told her that he had run away, instead of telling her the truth about him being at Stanford.

He hadn't realised that the Intersect would use pieces of his past to create Neal's history.

"A dirty cop division?" Chuck questioned, interested.

June smiled at him.

"That's correct," she said, "Neal and Peter amassed quite the little crew in order to retrieve it."

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. Did they find it?"

"Yes and no," June responded, "they found it and Neal had it but..."

"But?" Chuck prodded when she trailed off.

"But, one of the crew came by," June said, "he and Neal exchanged words and he left. Neal followed after him and then, he was gone."

"Who was it?" Sarah said. When June hesitated, she added, "please, it could be important."

"Real names aren't often exchanged before a heist, Mrs. Carmichael."

"Was it James?" Bryce asked, breaking his silence since the start of June's story.

"Yes," June responded, "James Bennett. Neal, just how much-"

Bryce didn't stay to listen to the rest of it. He was up and moving, needing to get away, get some air.

Sarah and Chuck shared looks. Something about this had shaken Bryce up and they didn't have any idea what it was. Neal was just a cover the CIA created and Bryce didn't even remember his last four or so years as Neal so, why was he disturbed by the name of someone in Neal's life?

"How much does he remember?" June asked.

"We're not at liberty to discuss that," Sarah responded.

"Then, I'm afraid I have to end this discussion," June responded, standing up.

"Um, before that, could you tell us who James Bennett is?" Chuck asked as he mirrored her movement.

"If Neal wants you to know, he will tell you," June responded.

"Well, thank you, Ms Ellington," Sarah started. She didn't finish because Chuck she lost her trail of thought when Chuck moved out of the room and after Bryce.

* * *

Bryce's feet carried him up the stairs, marking out a path that he had traversed a number of times even if he didn't remember it. He didn't pause in Neal's apartment, just went straight for the terrace.

James Bennett, his birth father. The man he had no intention of ever meeting. He hadn't needed his father since he had his mother and Ellen. There had been Chuck and Sarah. Even Peter the FBI agent counted.

Bryce just couldn't understand why James was in Neal's life.

"Bryce?" Chuck's voice sounded through the apartment and out to him. It was hesitant but strong.

"Sorry, Chuck," Bryce said, turning away from the amazing voice of New York to face his friend. "I just needed to get out there."

Chuck hesitated for a moment. Then asked, "what does the name 'James Bennett' mean to you?"

"Chuck, you know what I know. The man's a Ring 'fixer', that's all."

"Really? 'Cause I don't believe that." Silence.

"Sorry, he 'was' a Ring fixer," Bryce said after a moment. He had read the files detailing how Team Bartowski brought down the Ring. Even so, they had missed a few members in their clean up.

Why did James Bennett have to be one of the people they missed?

"He contacted my mother once," Bryce said to Chuck, taking a seat at the table inside the apartment. He smiled at the curious look on Chuck's face and the questions forming on his friend's open expressions. "I didn't know it was him at the time. I didn't find out until Stanford. James Bennett turned up on our doorstep, she slammed the door in his face and made me drive her to the police station. Next thing I know, we have five minutes to pack, an armed escort and new identities in Connecticut."

"New, new identities?" Chuck stammered.

"My birth name was Neal Bennett," Bryce said, waiting for Chuck to connect the dots. He could see the instant his friend made the connection; his mouth opened in a surprised little 'o' and his head moved up slightly.

"Um... do you, do you prefer-"

"I prefer Bryce. Intersect aside," because it seems the Intersect made him forget how content he was with his identity. "I've always preferred my second Witsec name. I had it the longest and it's the name I used at Stanford and the name I joined the CIA with."

Chuck took a moment to process this and then nodded.

"Yeah, I get it," he said. It was sort of like how Sarah was okay with 'Sarah' rather than her birth name.

"If I hadn't needed to vanish," Bryce sighed. "I wouldn't have even used Neal Caffrey. But, Neal was possibly the only identity the Ring didn't know about and the only identity which was watched by an agent." Bryce saw the question on Chuck's face and answered it before he could ask it. "Most of my missions using Neal Caffrey's identity were overseen by a senior agent. This senior agent was unofficially assigned to watch over me the past four, almost five, years as Neal in case the Ring caught on. That way, Neal wasn't defenceless."

"And making a deal with the FBI didn't hurt," Chuck said. Bryce's forehead creased as he recalled reading about that in the files.

"That wasn't part of the plan," Bryce said, "the plan was for Neal to leave prison and vanish, not to get mixed up in the FBI. Kate's disappearance must have complicated things." Neal's hunt for Kate has also been recorded in Peter's reports, along with her death almost a year in. Bryce couldn't understand it. Sure, he had romanced Kate but, she had been an asset. The weekly visits Peter commented on were mostly Agent Winters forging her signature and leaving a trail to keep the Neal alias active.

The Intersect must have taken those pieces from Bryce's memories and used them to create a romantic past for Neal with Kate. And that fictional past was strong enough for Neal to escape when Kate, finally, came to break up with him.

That was Bryce's theory, at least.

"You boys done?" Sarah asked, poking her head in the door. "'Cause we need to stake out the Burkes'."

"Already?" Chuck questioned, sounding disappointed. Bryce felt the same.

"Peter was released on parole today," she reminded them, "if Bennett really is a 'fixer' then he'll need to tie up loose ends."

Chuck sighed.

Bryce bit his lip. He hated this plan as it put Peter and Elizabeth in danger.

 _Elizabeth?_ When had he started thinking of Peter's wife by her first name?


	5. Clear Peter

 

* * *

CIA vans had more room and more gadgets than FBI ones. Not that Bryce understood why he knew that. The screens all showed different entrances to the Burkes' house, thanks to the cameras Sarah installed under Bryce's guidance. She sat at one monitor, checking her gun. Chuck sat at another, placing himself between Sarah and Bryce.

Bryce had his feet kicked up on the wall of the van as he watched the screens. He was more worried than he felt he should be over the FBI agent and his wife.

Peter and Elizabeth. Just how close had he gotten to them over the past four years? For Bryce, Peter was the smart FBI agent, an anomaly who could match wits with him. Bryce had often enjoyed hacking into the FBI database after a mission where he used one of Neal's aliases in order to see how Peter was going. Most of the time, the agent was two steps behind him. It didn't sound like much but it was when compared to the rest of the FBI, who Bryce had left in the dust.

The man was straight-laced, honest and fair, things Bryce found very lacking in most federal agents.

"Are you really okay with this?" Chuck asked him, "I mean, we will be arresting your, uh..."

"You can say it, Chuck," Bryce snapped, "'father'. We'll be arresting my father." And good riddance.

"What? Bryce you didn't mention this," Sarah said, "and it's not in your file."

"Of course not," Bryce responded. He dropped his feet to the ground. "I don't even remember the guy." He caught the expression on Chuck's face, the one that spoke of searching for and protecting family even as the CIA tried to pull them apart. "And I really don't care about him. For me, the family I choose is more important. Plus, I had my mother and," he paused for a moment before saying the name, "Ellen."

* * *

June had cornered him as they left her home.

"Those two agents say you don't remember what happened to you but, it's more than that."

"It's nothing, June," Bryce responded, feeling slightly nervous. He thought he had been playing Neal correctly but there must have been something he missed, if she was suspicious this quickly.

"You're not the same Neal I knew," June said, "I could list off all the little clues but, it's better for you to tell me the truth."

Bryce raised an eyebrow. Did she really think it would be that easy?

"I heard your talk with Chuck," she informed him a moment later, "Bryce."

His heart stopped at her admission and use of his name.

"How?"

"You see, Mozzie and I have a little game going. He likes to scan your apartment for bugs and I asked him if he wouldn't mind me hiding some up there. I am quite sneaky in my old age." She paused to let this information sink in. "I put some in a few days after you vanished, hoping that it might provide him with a little distraction for a while but, Mozzie hasn't come to visit."

"He hasn't?" Bryce questioned.

June shook her head.

"He's been too busy looking for you and helping out at the Burkes' house."

Bryce ran a hand through his hair. Mozzie. He hadn't contacted Mozzie, who was probably deep underground searching for Neal.

"Sorry," was all he could think to say.

"It's okay, Bryce," she said, "just, one thing. How much do you really remember?" He answered with a coil of dread making its way through his gut and she informed him, "then, you probably don't remember but, Ellen is dead. She was murdered shortly before you met James."

* * *

Ellen was dead.

"Bryce? Buddy? You're zoning out on us," Chuck said, moments away from waving a hand over his face.

"Don't," Bryce responded, knocking Chuck's hand away.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sarah asked, repeating Chuck's earlier question.

"No." Bryce reminded himself that spies don't get time to mourn. "But, it has nothing to do with James."

"Speaking of," Chuck said as a dark van pulled up. James Bennett hopped out, gun in hand.

Bryce swore. Sarah readied her gun and opened the van door.

"Chuck, let's go!" she ordered, "Bryce, you stay here!"

"Right," Chuck stammered, jumping out after her and slamming the door shut.

Bryce didn't have time to feel annoyed how his ex-girlfriend had basically told him to stay in the van. He had a job to do and a mission to coordinate.

He pulled on a headset and quickly adjusted the mic. His fingers were poised over the keyboard and his eyes were glued to the screen.

"Sarah! Chuck! There are at least five other men in the other van!" he informed them after engaging the heat sensors on one of the cameras. They hadn't had time to plant any cameras on the inside of Peter's house so he had to rely on those to see what was going on inside. "They're both in the kitchen. Show Peter your badges and just say that Bennett's come for him or something. Chuck, you lead them out. Go through the back door, there's only two men heading that way." He heard the sounds of the front door splintering through the other agents' mics. Gun shots sounded a moment later.

"I'll keep them back! Chuck, go!" Sarah yelled.

Sorry El, Bryce thought as he heard her scream.

"Bryce, we need to get them out of here!" Chuck said. Bryce heard thumps on the other end. "Peter got one, he tried to jump us."

"Sorry, should have warned you," Bryce said, trying to process everything at once. "A neighbour's called the police. They're on route but, Chuck, I know their response time, and they won't make it."

"We still need to get the Burkes out of here," Chuck caught on.

Sarah swore and Bryce could hear her walking outside. They were pushing her back.

"Bryce, can you drive the van?"

"Yeah, give me a sec," Bryce responded. He replaced the headphones with an earpiece and climbed over the seats to the front. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Buddy," Chuck responded.

"We're heading your way," Sarah informed him.

"Alright." He turned the key and started the engine as the side door rolled open and four people climbed in.

"Go, Bryce! Now!" Sarah ordered and he hit the accelerator.

* * *

Peter held his wife in place as the van shot into traffic.

"That was James, wasn't it?" El said, examining the agents' faces. "What was he doing?"

"We believe he was trying to kill you," Sarah explained, tucking her blond hair behind her ear.

"We? As in the CIA?" El questioned in an incredulous tone. Peter was slightly suspicious as well but, they had saved them from being shot.

The agents tensed as Bryce's curse came through the comm and the van skidded around a corner.

"Yes," Sarah responded.

"And James Bennett and his gang are following us," Chuck informed them, bracing himself on the side of the van.

"Why is the CIA getting involved?" she demanded to know.

Both agents hesitated.

"James Bennett is a very bad man," Chuck explained in his unique manner, "he used to work for a very bad organisation, which we defeated, and he's hurt a friend of ours."

"Another CIA agent?" Peter questioned.

"Yes," Sarah responded, "and that's all we're allowed to say on the subject."

"If you catch him, will my husband be cleared of his charges?" El asked.

"We hope so," Chuck said. He flinched a moment later as there was an banging sound, amplified by the exterior of the van around them.

"What was that?" Peter commented as he pulled El closer.

"Oh, that's not good," Chuck commented as there was a screeching sound.

Sarah placed her hand on her ear unconsciously as she answered;

"Bryce says they shot out one of the back tires. He's pulling over into a building site."

"They'll have us cornered," Peter realised. While he was grateful that these agents had stepped in to save his and El's lives, he worried that it was all for naught.

"Stay in the van, my husband and I will confront them," Sarah said, opening the van door.

"I'm not going to let you go out there alone," Peter said, "I'm an agent too."

Sarah paused for a moment. She frowned as if she was about to say no but, El interrupted with a suggestion.

"Peter, cut your tracker."

"What? But, that'll-" Peter's eyes widened in realisation. If he cut the tracker, marshals and the FBI would be at this location in minutes. Jones had already mentioned how he would get an alarm to his phone if Peter's tracker was cut at any time. It was mostly a joke but Jones really had done it, just in case.

El grabbed a pair of scissors from Chuck and cut Peter's tracker as they were ordered to step out of the van.

Chuck took a deep breath and handed Peter a gun. He was quick to assure them that it was a tranq gun before stepping out after Sarah.

Peter hugged El, called her 'hun' one last time and told her to stay in the van and stepped out after Chuck.

James Bennett stood at the entrance to the building site. Wire fence surrounded them with Bennett's van blocking the exit.

"James Bennett, you're under arrest!" Sarah announced, holding her gun level with his chest. Peter followed her lead.

"What for?" James asked with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't smiling but he was calm.

"Drop your gun!" Sarah ordered.

"Sorry but, no."

The van behind James opened up and his five goons stepped out and flanked him on both sides, partially surrounding them.

"Drop your weapons," James ordered, "or else my hired hands here will shoot."

Sarah paused for a moment before placing her gun on the ground. Sickening nerves fluttered in Peter's stomach as he did the same. He wasn't an idiot, he had worked in Organised Crime for a while and he knew how these sorts of situations ended.

He prayed that El would be safe.

* * *

El clasped her hands together as she curled up against the back of the front seats. She knew her husband's job was dangerous but, never expected something like this to happen. Here she was, hiding in a busted van and praying that the authorities would arrive in time to save Peter.

El placed her head in her hands as she heard James order them to drop their weapons. She head clambering from behind her, deducing that the agent who had been driving was climbing back.

"It'll be okay," a familiar voice said as a comforting hand was placed on her back. "I won't let them hurt Peter."

El's heart jumped as she recognised the voice. She looked up into worried blue eyes.

"Neal?" But, there was something off about him. His voice was soft but hard, like Peter's when someone hurt her, and he held himself differently. Like a man on a mission or something.

And she hadn't missed the brief look which crossed his face when she spoke. His lips parted slightly and his eyes flicked away.

Outside, James could be heard demanding to know who they were working for.

"Sorry. It's my fault James is in your lives," he paused for a moment. "If I had remembered, I wouldn't have let him near you or Peter."

"Remembered? Neal, what are-" His hand pressed lightly to her mouth and quietly shushed her.

He moved in front of her as a large bald man armed with a large two-handed gun dwarfed the van door. She gasped in surprise; she hadn't heard the goon coming although he obviously had.

"Get out," the goon ordered.

"Fine, fine," Bryce responded lightly, raising his hands in a 'no weapons' position. There was a gun tucked into his back waistline. "Stay behind me," he said to her.

Stay behind him. She realised that she would be able to block the gun from the goon's vision. Clinging to the sides of his shirt, she followed him out.

"Neal?" Both Peter and James were shocked.

Bryce stood tall and guided El over to where Chuck was standing. He stood partially in front of Chuck and partially in front of El.

"Surprised to see me?" he quipped to James.

"Look, son-"

"Don't call me that," Bryce snapped. There was a moment of silence.

"Fine," James responded, pointing his gun at Bryce. "Seems you've wised up to the way the world works."

"Um, excuse me?" Chuck said, waving his hand a little. "I don't know what world you live in but, in this one, fathers don't point guns at their sons." He winced a little as the guns moved to point at him.

"Well said, Chuck," Sarah praised.

James just rolled his shoulders and sighed. El poked Chuck in the arm and pointed to the gun Bryce had hid.

James opened his mouth, to order their deaths, only for his words to be drowned out by incoming sirens.

"Now, Chuck!" Bryce said. The moment Chuck pulled the gun from him and he felt its weight vanish, Bryce pushed El back and behind Chuck.

"Don't move!" Chuck ordered James as he pointed the gun at him.

"That's the local police force and FBI coming for you!" Bryce yelled at him, "they'll be here in moments." He glared at the goons. "I doubt he's paying you guys enough to get out of jail so, you might want to run."

"They'll arrest you too!" James bellowed at Bryce, "you're a felon on the run! Same for you, ex-Fed Peter!"

Peter's face flushed in outrage.

"They won't arrest us," Bryce responded, "Peter was with federal agents the whole time. Same for me." Bryce nodded towards Chuck and Sarah.

James sneered and turned to run, his goons having already taken the time to escape.

Chuck shot him. Peter moved to rush forward and El gasped. Sarah smiled the sweet smile that said she loved it when Chuck shot the bad guys with tranqs and moved closer to her husband.

"It's okay, it's a tranq gun. He's only sleeping!" Bryce announced to Peter and El, even as agents armed with guns stormed the area.

Jones walked in moments later, wearing a vest and carrying his gun close to his chest. He found James Bennett on the ground, unconscious, his boss and his boss' wife hugging, a couple he had never seen before standing just behind them and a very alert Neal chatting away to the strange couple.

He shot Peter a confused look.

"Hey, Jones," Peter responded in a tired voice only a loss of adrenaline could cause, "what took you so long?"


	6. Recall

 

* * *

Bryce stood in the middle of Neal Caffrey's loft apartment, five days after James Bennett's arrest. The information that Chuck provided and the backing of the CIA meant that Peter was on his way to being cleared.

The CIA backing also meant that Neal Caffrey's sentence was commuted. Officially, it was because he had helped the CIA collar a criminal and threat to national security. Unofficially, it was because Bryce Larkin, dead or alive, was a CIA agent and they didn't want their agent tethered to a 2-mile radius.

* * *

Bryce's Neal alias had been made inactive years ago, when he went to jail. It was only Agent Winters' interference and neurosis about not burning perfectly good aliases until you have to that kept the Neal Caffrey alias alive for Bryce.

But, he remembered the decision to revive Neal and let Bryce remain dead. He remembered assisting in programming an Intersect to help him disappear.

He didn't remember working with Peter or his FBI White Collar team. Apparently, he had been doing that for years. The smiling faces and light claps on the shoulders, the well-wishing and people telling him they were glad he was okay, he had never really had that before. Chuck had been the only one to really be friendly with him because friendliness came so easily to Chuck.

Bryce didn't understand why all those agents were close to Neal and even June had told him that Neal's apartment was still his, if he wanted it. They didn't treat him like a conman, not after it was revealed that James had kidnapped him. And Bryce got the impression that Neal was friendly with them. But, why? If it was a con, Neal wouldn't have run it this long without escaping. If it wasn't a con, what was Neal thinking?

* * *

Bryce was getting that headache again. The one that said he was over thinking this. But, he had created Neal. He had acted as Neal right up until the CIA sprung him from prison.

Shouldn't he know how Neal thought over these last few years?

"I can't believe you've been back for days and didn't contact me!" Mozzie complained the moment he opened the door. "I had to hear from Mrs. Suit!"

"I don't remember how to contact you, Mozzie," Bryce responded, turning to face his visitor. "And I tried all our old contact methods."

A look of realisation lit up Mozzie's face.

"Bryce?" he questioned, although his tone was certain.

"Long time, no see," Bryce responded with a smile. He was certain Mozzie would have some answers for him. "Or so I'm told."

"Eh," Mozzie responded with a wave of his hand. "The CIA might not know that I've been here but, the Suit certainly does. Didn't you ask him?"

Bryce instantly noticed the affection underlying Mozzie's nickname for Peter. He used to bark 'Suit' like it was bad thing.

"I've been avoiding him," Bryce admitted, "he'll have questions that I don't know how to answer." Mozzie's eyebrows knitted and he adjusted his glasses. "And, I can't pretend in front of him."

"He brings out the spook in you," Mozzie stated.

"What?"

"I admit, I didn't want Neal working with the FBI," Mozzie explained, "I tried numerous times to convince him to leave. But, I think that something about Peter made Neal remember a little about being you. That he was more than a con."

"I wouldn't know," Bryce responded with a shrug. "I can't remember it."

"What?" Mozzie questioned, stepping right into Bryce's personal space. He reached up and grabbed Bryce's head and tugged it down to him, examining it like he could see inside.

Bryce was used to this. Mozzie had done this a few times after they realised he had downloaded the Intersect 2.0, although Chuck's program had removed that as well, and it seemed to help Mozzie think through any Intersect related problem.

"We designed it so that you would be able to remember if the Intersect needed to be removed," Mozzie questioned after Bryce explained what he recalled and couldn't recall.

"They destroyed it, Moz. Everything," Bryce said with a hint of sadness. Meeting June and the White Collar division made him think that it would be nice to remember.

Mozzie stepped back and then fiddled in his pockets. He pulled out a device that resembled an iPhone; the Intersect Removal Device Orion created in case Bryce needed to be brought back for any reason.

"Moz-"

"There was never any reason to use it," Mozzie said, "Neal was mostly happy here and so was I. The CIA never had any reason to look for you here as the records of you being Neal were destroyed. But, if I had used it-"

"Then you would have to hunt me down," Bryce interrupted. They both knew how the CIA worked. Once you were in, it was almost impossible to leave. The spy life would follow you and you would be dragged back into it eventually. "They would have found me and ordered for me to be disposed of. And you would either be added to the disposal list for helping me or would have to dispose of me yourself."

"As long as you didn't remember, it wasn't treason for me to be with you."

"And it isn't treason now," Bryce was quick to add. He knew that Mozzie enemies often didn't see him coming. "The Ring is gone and the General knows I'm alive."

"Alright, explain this to me again," Mozzie said, pulling out a bottle of wine and taking a seat. "How is it you can go missing for over a week and return with full CIA support?"

Bryce smiled, sat down and accepted the glass of wine Mozzie poured him. This was familiar and he indulged himself in the feeling for a moment. There were too many confusing and conflicting feelings when he was around anyone from the FBI so it was nice to do something which existed in Neal's life before he went to prison: chatting with Mozzie.

Bryce told him about James Bennett being part of the Ring, how he woke up in Burbank with few memories and how he joined Team Bartowski in order to return and help Peter.

Now they just had to find Ellen's evidence box and deliver it to the FBI.

* * *

Peter didn't know what to think. Charles Carmichael, who introduced himself as Chuck Bartowski, sat across from him. Files were spread out between them and Chuck's laptop was tilted mostly towards Peter.

"He'd be mad, if he knew I was telling you," Chuck said, "but, he woke up back in Burbank and the only think he could think of was helping you. You're important to him so, I think you deserve to know."

Neal's - Bryce's - history was right there in front of him. It held information on almost every crime the FBI had on the conman - the spy - and Peter felt dirty for even looking at it.

"So, he remembers all this," he waved his hand over the papers. "But nothing of the years we worked together?" And he apparently hadn't remembered about being a spy during the years they worked together.

Chuck pressed his lips together in an upset motion. He didn't want to be one to tell Peter this but, he was the one who thought Peter needed to know.

"No, he doesn't." There was silence for a moment before Chuck spoke again. "And-"

"He's going to run," Peter stated with certainly, looking up to stare Chuck in the eyes. "Isn't he? Unless someone stops him."

Chuck's mouth opened in surprise for a moment, closed and then opened again as he bumbled;

"I was going to say 'leave' but, yeah."

Peter felt a rush as, for the first time since his arrest, things felt normal. He had thought that Neal was avoiding him and now he had an idea of why. Peter wasn't about to just let his friend leave.

"I'm going over to his place now," he said, gathering up his things.

"Uh, Agent Burke?"

"Yes?" Peter was itching to move, to get to Neal - Bryce - and stop him from running.

"Do I need to leave too?" Chuck questioned, "and what about your wife?"

Peter dropped his stuff back onto the coffee table and walked back into the dining area. Right. He had forgotten. El had gone to her sister's to get Satchmo back; the dog had been staying there since his arrest as El hadn't been able to deal with her husband's arrest and looking after the dog.

"We'll wait until my wife gets home," Peter responded, "and you can meet Satchmo. You're not allergic to dogs, are you?"

"You have a dog?" Chuck's face lit up in surprised glee. Before Peter could question it, he explained, "when Neal first entered my house he commented to my wife and I that it feels like we need a dog." Peter stared at him blankly. "Don't you see? He remembers something about his time with you."

Peter didn't know if that was comforting or not.

* * *

Bryce stared at the open bag on his bed. It had somewhat become a ritual for him over the past few days. He would get the bag out, put it on his bed and just stare at it and wonder whether to leave or stay.

It shouldn't be a hard decision. The CIA had him back and there was nothing in New York to tie him down. Except, he remembered Neal's desperation when he woke that first day in Castle, and he felt that same desperation later but was better at hiding it.

Never put down roots; it was spy rule number one and it seemed that Neal had broken it for Bryce. He had an apartment and the FBI had offered him a job when the anklet came off. However, he hadn't decided if to take or even whether he could take it.

He was a spy, not a consultant and certainly not made to sit behind a desk all day.

Bryce's phone rang. He checked the caller ID before answering.

"Hey, Chuck."

"Hey, Bryce." A pause and then a flurry of words, "wannajoinCarmichaelIndustries?"

"What?"

There was a sigh on the other end and fumbling noises as the phone exchanged hands.

"We're making you an offer," Sarah's voice came through loud, clear and business-like, "Carmichael Industries is a semi-independent spy firm that works closely with the CIA. They like us because they don't have to pay for our base or equipment, they only pay for our services, and because we have a high success rate. And we want you."

"The CIA-"

"Has been made aware of this offer and General Beckman has okayed it. There will be no repercussions, burn notices or anything of the like."

"Oh." He couldn't think of what to say. Just the fact that Chuck had come so far, far enough to have his own spy firm which could afford to poach agents from the CIA, was more than Bryce had hoped for when he send the other man the first Intersect. It was more than most agents achieved in their lifetimes.

"We're also willing to discuss the terms," Sarah added.

"I'll have to think about it," Bryce said before hanging up. Chuck was still Chuck so there shouldn't be any tricks or pitfalls in this offer but, he was still suspicious. He had to be.

"They're willing to let you stay in New York," Peter said from the doorway, causing Bryce to jump. Before he knew it, he had a knife in his hand and was ready to throw it at the intruder.

"How did you know what that phone call was about?" he demanded to know.

Peter frowned at him and placed his hands on his hips. The action reminded Bryce that he was supposed to be acting like Neal and had possibly just blown his cover.

"I sent Chuck a message when I arrived, to let him know when to call you," Peter explained, "I didn't want you to notice me coming and run or make up some reason not to see me."

Bryce was impressed and slightly annoyed that he had fallen into Peter Burke's trap.

"We need to talk," Peter said in a serious tone.

"About?" he asked with a quirk of an eyebrow and a smile. He brought the knife down and slipped it into the pocket of his sweatpants.

"Chuck told me about you. About how you're a spy," Peter said, "and about how you don't remember our years of partnership."

Bryce dropped the smile. Peter knew. Chuck had told him and Bryce's actions when Peter made his presence know just proved it.

He was going to kill Chuck.

"I know Chuck wants you to work with him at Carmichael Industries and that the FBI has offered you a position as a paid consultant," Peter continued. As he spoke, he went to the fridge and pulled out a beer.

That was one mystery solved for Bryce. He had wondered what those beers were for when he didn't drink them and Neal had a preference for wine.

"I'm not made to sit behind a desk all day," Bryce informed Peter. He wondered if the other man had come to try and convince him to take the FBI job. However, Peter stared curiously at him for a moment.

"And your opinion on paperwork?"

"Hate it. It's necessary evil but, evil nonetheless." And records could be funny. Sometimes they saved a spy's life and other times they risked it.

Peter's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Do you want to know what Neal did while he worked for us?" he asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Filling out forms, reading files and fetching files and coffee?" Bryce guessed because that's all they had him doing for his last day.

"Well, yes. But he also went undercover and," Peter shuffled nervously for a moment. "Helped me interview witnesses."

"Why would you need help interviewing witnesses?" Bryce asked, slipping into the seat across from Peter.

"I can't, women start crying sometimes and I don't know how to handle that," Peter admitted, "I can't handle kids either."

He couldn't help it, Bryce had to laugh. Crying women and children were Peter Burke's weaknesses.

"Well, I'm glad you find this funny," Peter huffed.

"Sure," Bryce responded between chuckles. "Come on, Peter, tell me more."

* * *

Mozzie certainly hadn't expected this scene when he returned. Bryce and the Suit sitting at the table, drinking beers and laughing.

"Wait, so someone was actually copying me?" Bryce questioned, "as in copying my 'alleged' crimes as Neal Caffrey?"

"Yep," Peter responded, "and he was teaching classes on you too."

"I should be horrified," Bryce pointed out, "but I'm actually impressed with my level of exposure."

"I don't know why you're surprised," Mozzie responded, making his presence known, "you're the one who said that if you're going to be a criminal, you might as well be a good criminal."

"Moz! Did you find it?" Bryce asked.

Mozzie shook his head.

"I checked all the safe houses and all of Neal's hidey-holes I know of in this area. Nothing. I even checked yours, just to be safe."

"So, you knew about Neal," Peter stated, to buzzed from beer to be mad about it, "I don't know why I'm even surprised."

"Moz, Chuck offered me a job with his spy firm," Bryce informed him, "Carmichael Industries."

"Are you going to take it?" Mozzie asked. Just the fact that Bryce brought it up meant that the CIA wasn't going to oppose it. While Mozzie knew about the FBI's job offer, Bryce hadn't mentioned it at all. Until now;

"The FBI also offered me a job as a paid consultant. Peter says I'll be doing the same things as Neal did, providing information and going undercover for them. It's nowhere near what I'd make on missions but, it'll be enough to live on when Carmichael Industries is between jobs. Apparently," and Bryce glared at Peter as he said this, "they'll only pay me when I go on a mission for them or provide information that helps them with a mission. They neglected to tell me that part."

"Chuck says their jobs at the Buy More help when they're between missions," Peter responded with a shrug.

Mozzie was silent for a moment. He had known in his head that this partnership couldn't have lasted forever but, his heart had come to believe that he would always be able to there for Neal. Their friendship had been through so much over the past few years and he had thought that Bryce would feel that same. Never had he expected that Neal's memories would be destroyed with the Intersect.

"So, are you going to accept?" he asked Bryce. It was a testament to his great skills as a conman and a spy that none of the hurt he was feeling in his heart affected his voice.

"Back in Stanford, Chuck and I dreamed of starting our own tech company together," Bryce responded in a wistful voice, "I had forgotten about that until now. The idea of working with Chuck and Sarah, especially if I only see them for missions, is appealing." He didn't know how he would handle seeing them together all the time and things with Sarah were awkward since they used to date but, he didn't think it would be a real problem; he had given her up to him and they were perfect for each other. And he would be able to stay in New York for as long as he wanted; he hadn't given up on his lost memories yet. "It's really appealing. I think I do want this."

"Okay," Mozzie said. He could see that this was the best option for Bryce.

"Uh, Moz?" Bryce said nervously. He hesitated as he thought through what he wanted to say. This had to be convincing as he really wanted Mozzie to stay as well. The little man was the only person who knew both Bryce and Neal. "I know you like being you," Mozzie knew he meant CIA undercover in the criminal underbelly, "but, would you consider taking a place in Carmichael Industries with me? I'm sure Chuck would agree to any conditions I set."

Mozzie pretended to think about it as he went over everything he had learnt about Carmichael Industries in his head. While most people in the know tended to overlook the little private security firm but, he saw it as a diamond in the rough. At one time, the firm was hunted by the CIA and, since they were still around and apparently able to hire CIA agents, they must be good.

"Their terms might be agreeable," he finally said, smiling as Bryce let out a relieved breath. "I will go and discuss with the Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael and work out our contracts." He'd make sure there was something in his contract about selling his information to the CIA as well, similar to his current agreement with the company. "But, first, I need a list of places where the evidence might be hidden." It always helped to have something bargain with.

"Right," Bryce sighed. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think.

Peter made an amused noise.

"What?" Bryce questioned.

* * *

Mozzie took one look at the package Peter brought up and then decided to vanish; he had contracts to work out with Carmichael Industries.

Bryce just stared at it. Finally, he took the package from Peter and checked inside.

Ellen's evidence.

"El went to pick up Satchmo from her sister's today," Peter explained in an amused voice, "and found this waiting for her. It's addressed with her name, her sister's address and I seriously doubt Satchmo sent it like it says on the return address."

"Neal must have thought that your mail would be searched," Bryce said. He hadn't known about El's close relationship with her sister but Neal obviously had. He must have expected El's sister to get this to Peter and the FBI at some point and James wouldn't have thought to search a place related to the Burkes and not Neal.

"Damn, I was smart," Bryce praised.

"Smartest guy I know," Peter responded, "took me three years to catch you."

"I let you catch me," Bryce replied because it was partially the truth. The other part was that Peter's attempts at catching Neal Caffrey had made it difficult for Bryce to move; a lot more work had to go into his aliases and missions to make sure Peter wouldn't catch onto Bryce Larkin.

Maybe Peter could sense his nervousness; he had been a bundle of nerves since deciding to work with the FBI and Carmichael Industries instead of returning to the CIA. The older man placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. And Bryce remembered their plan.

Unfortunately, he would be 'Neal Caffrey' in the FBI office as it would draw too much attention and put too many people in possible danger if he went in as 'Bryce Larkin' but, Peter had agreed to call him 'Bryce' outside of FBI time and when they were alone or with his wife and Bryce was slowly growing okay with this. It would be no different to the previous days.

'Neal' and Peter would return to work the same day and the office would be informed that 'Neal' was experiencing memory loss of the past few years as a result of being kidnapped and tortured by James Bennett. The exact details would not be released. Peter believed this would make things a little easier for Bryce because he wouldn't have to pretend to remember things and risk breaking cover. And 'Neal' was free to take days off whenever Carmichael Industries called him in; Peter would make sure that was in his FBI consultant's contract.

"It'll be fine," Peter said reassuringly.

Bryce believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is final chapter of this story. I had decided in the beginning to see if I could write a story in 6 chapters, something shorter than my previous stories. Kind of succeeded but also failed. It took much longer to get a chapter of this done and released than my other stories.
> 
> I also wrote most of this chapter while under the weather (sick enough to be really uncomfortable but well enough to function), so it's had minimal editing.


End file.
